Flashing Lights, Pounding Hearts!
by Wispy Willow
Summary: A look into some of the bright events, intriguing shades and heart pumping moments that permeated Sam and Andy's relationship in Season 2. Picks up from Episode 10 and flickers about to various glimpses into Episode 11 and 13, with representations of both their points of views. It's a little rough and unfinished, but essentially it's just some romantic fluff and musings.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER. I do not own Rookie Blue.

"Sam!" Andy stepped backwards and out of the ambulance. She came right into his line of vision like something resplendent, pure and crystalline amid the calamity. She was an incredibly welcome sight for sore eyes. He couldn't deny it. Relief flooded over him like a soothing balm.

Her face bore grime and dust from earlier today. Her hair had become loose and a little disheveled. Yet, enhanced by the bright flashing lights of the emergency vehicles, she looked invigorated, elated and excited. Sam noticed the soft sparkle in her eyes as she approached him.

He wondered if her radiance and fresh energy had more to do with the urgency in his voice as he called for her moments earlier, than her obvious heroics from earlier today.

Was it possibly inspired by his face crinkling into a relieved smile at the sight of her? Was it there because they seemed to obliterate everything else, losing themselves in each other and their soft puddle of light?

The night's other lights were blazing and vivid, yet they didn't deter or distract them. Instead the brilliant and jagged flashes made stark statements about their actual circumstances and realities. Suddenly, under such bright scrutiny, impending events snapped sharply into focus.

He was on the verge of leaving her, who knew for how long. She had had another close brush with death tonight. Danger was hovering at every corner for them as usual.

Andy was almost six weeks out of her relationship with Luke. She had profound, deepening feelings _and_ a new unfettered need for Sam. It was all so undeniable, palpable, transparent and real.

She continued to gaze into his eyes, oblivious to everything else. It was as though she was really seeing all of him for the first time ever.

He was so very flawed and had about a gazillion hang ups. It came naturally for Sam to try and conceal huge chunks of who he really was behind silly humour, subtle mystery and exaggerated toughness.

Yet throughout their frenzied day, including right here, right now, the dynamic between them was changing. He was done with those dratted long months of yearning and pining. She was actually accessible to him. He couldn't find the right kinds of words, but his searching eyes were heavily weighted with a bright burning desire she couldn't miss.

In this rare moment of depth, perception, and realization, their bodies drew magnetically to each other. It seemed like it had taken aeons to get right before each other like this, yet only a moment to shift closer.

A knowing smile lit up her face. She maintained eye contact, bringing her mouth just close enough for him to brush his lips against hers. He leaned in, struck at how stunning she looked with the brazen lights of the nearby police cruiser flashing across her face. He knew instinctively he would take this view of her with him everywhere.

His heart pumped harder as he recognized the eagerness flickering from her. He could even feel the soft flutters of her breath on his chin. Dammit he needed her. He needed her so much. If he could just touch her now, he knew there would be no stopping him from seizing her and running.

The moment escaped and evaporated. Fear, doubt and uncertainty came blindingly at her. She pulled back quite sharply. It felt so sudden that it physically hurt him. She took her warmth with her, and the cold chill of the winter evening hit him like an angry, cold slap.

As Andy moved, she tangled the fingers of her hands with his and that intriguing smile reclaimed her lips again. Her eyes once more taunted him with a quiet sparkle.

It was not unlike so many other painful moments he could recall. There had been other times when she was essentially just about within his grasp, only to slip away like elusive drops of slippery water

That familiar sense of bafflement, helplessness and inadequacy flooded his system hard and fervent _again_. Hell, this uncertainty, this waiting, this pining, this unfulfilled silent promise; it was all too long, too frustrating, too incomprehensible. It was as though she was concurrently drawing him to her, while at the same time tugging away.

Why was she holding back? Would she _ever_ be able to give into this thing that was going on with them? They had been dancing around it practically since they met almost two years ago for Christ's sake!

He felt suddenly gutted and physically worn down. The dance was poorly choreographed, the steps too intricate, and now there was practically nothing left to shed any light on their next moves.

Perhaps after all he was just too awkward, too rough and too calloused to fit into her well-structured and carefully mapped out world!

He looked up and away, this time blinded by the brilliant flood lights spilling all about him. They were invading the previously wondrous place he and Andy shared together. She was walking away once more. He stood alone again.

He needed to clinch a way out and away from her. Quickly!

He turned away from the menacing beams and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. In his mind's eye the lights were soft and soothing.

**_The lights_** **_were soft and soothing_** in Lesley's apartment.

Everything there spoke to the way the woman had lived her life. Careful, structured, prepared, planned and organized.

It was pleasing and Andy could relate. It was obvious Lesley had been preparing herself for the ultimate bubble of accomplishment. It was going to propel her up to the bigger and brighter things she aspired to, of course.

Andy took it all in pensively. A concentrated sadness touched her face. If only Lesley had known her future, perhaps she would have done it all differently. Maybe then she would have lived for the moment and grabbed what was real and in front of her, instead of dreaming of the right moment and place in time.

Andy picked up the revered champagne. The fizzing bubbles shimmered and teased her as they glittered from inside the bottle.

It hit Andy then like a blinding lightning bolt. She was stalling in her life too. She was waiting until she was sure of what exactly? Herself, her goals, her career, her future… _Sam_? She was putting her life in complete order and holding off until she had banished the very last of her qualms and fears. As if that would ever happen!

As she looked around her again, everything seemed blatant and crystal clear as broad daylight. Sam was a wired up rule-breaker. Risk was his middle name. He _was_ a risk dammit, but he had always been a sure thing in her life.

He had crept his way into her heart and she hadn't been able to extricate his hold there at all. She couldn't be surer than she was now that he was supposed to be in her future. Yet, as she held that expensive bottle she wondered if her fate was to replicate Lesley's.

Was she holding out on the reward for fear of ultimate failure? Would she deny herself something dazzling, remarkable and exciting, just because she wasn't completely ready or sure of it?

God, if Lesley had only drunk her champagne and pushed all her doors open yesterday!If only she had done this in spite of her fears that her life's work was rough and incomplete. Perhaps then today she would have taken her last breaths with an added sense of fulfillment, knowledge and understanding.

Now Andy realized the way forward was a not a path blazing with floodlights, but one that had been quietly glowering before her all along. The way forward led in one direction only. It led to Sam.

Perhaps it always had. Maybe there was no deep mystery to it after all. Maybe there was nothing more to accomplish. She simply had to reach out to him and let it happen.

He wanted her desperately. He couldn't disguise it anymore. She saw it in his wistful eyes tonight. They beckoned, implored and bewitched her. Yet, she had hesitated. She hadn't been able to respond to him again. She had scurried away to her secure blanket of distance and stability.

No more dammit. He had three weeks. That was 21 days _and_ nights to throw themselves freely into the unknown together. That was incredibly miraculous actually.

She reached for her cell phone and punched the numbers furiously. She had to go to him. She had to go to him right now. She would be tense and nervous until she was with him again, freely exploring this sparkly thing between them at last.

She felt a tremor of excitement flutter through her body at the thought of just how incredibly good it was _all _going to be. She knew it would be nothing short of thrilling to give herself completely to the moment, the magic and Sam.

She smiled in anticipation as she waited for him to answer. She got his voice mail.

The lights in Lesley's apartments were dim and unobtrusive, but her mind was starting to blaze a trail of fire and bright bold lights.

**_Bright bold lights_**, brash signs, a noisy commotion and large television monitors channeling the hockey game in all corners. That was _The Alpine_ at this hour of the night.

It was a scuzzy, bustling and unpredictable dive. Sam had not exaggerated on that one. This bode very well. There were more than a few shady characters lurking about. Any one of them could be their key to a stash of product to bring back to the Barn later.

She couldn't help smiling. It was Sam who brought her here really. Unbeknown to him, he was helping her again. He had that uncanny knack of being there for her almost every time she needed him most. It made her feel oddly connected to him again.

It still needled her that he wasn't there for her a month ago. That night had turned out so differently than she had hoped.

She had arrived on his doorstep, feeling light hearted, flirtatious and delirious almost.

He wasn't there. He didn't show up for the hour she waited. She called twice more and gave up. She left feeling frustrated, dumbfounded and flattened. She was finally ready and he was…. gone. Damn it, that was cruel and brutal.

But here tonight, things _were_ going well. Traci's pool initiative was working out profitably. It was mainly all on her that they were making money of course. Andy knew she was a very weak link, but what the heck they were getting it done, chick kiss and all.

The men were practically lining up to take them on. Some actually seemed respectable and articulate. What the hell were they doing here? Many were looking to get lucky in more ways than at the pool table no doubt.

It made the girl in her uneasy, but it pumped up her strong, independent cop side dramatically.

The rugged looking blonde man asking for a game now looked intensely competitive. He was likely going to be a formidable challenge.

"That depends. Who's your partner?" Andy replied uneasily, not quite sure what to make of the money he was slapping down before them.

"Him," he motioned sideways.

She spun her head swiftly. He was finishing off his drink. The lights behind him highlighted his instantly recognizable profile.

He turned and locked eyes with her. His face broke into a surreptitious smile. He looked amazing dammit. She wanted to melt.

God how she had wanted to see him! That's basically what drove them to this dump. It had been a month since she had seen him.

The way forward led in one direction only. It led to Sam.

His eyes were glowering at her. She knew it even with the gap between them, and the shadows created by his background of glowering red-tinted lights.

**_The glowering red-tinted lights_** coming from the ambulance were strangely reassuring.

The jitters inside of Andy reconciled in absolute and complete calm. She and Traci had done their jobs. They had most likely saved a life tonight. The girl would be alright. She was going to make it.

Ultimately that was going to count for more than showing up at the Barn with cash and drugs.

She was also at harmony with something else. Sam. He was actually _here_ tonight. That had to be incredibly meaningful and serendipitous. It was a defining moment for Andy. Something was meant to happen with her and Sam… tonight.

"Are you coming?" Traci asked before she climbed into the ambulance.

Andy didn't know what to say. There was no way she was leaving now, not with Sam so close. No bloody way, her heart and body was screaming out.

Instead she replied quietly, almost too absently. "I'll meet you back at the station."

Traci turned to give Andy a sternly reproachful look. Naturally, she knew what was going on. She also knew, as did Andy, that it went strictly against protocol.

She realized she didn't have a hope in hell of convincing Andy to reconsider, but she gave it a stab anyway. She spoke assertively and even used the words "stupid" and "off limits". Andy merely acknowledged her words and nodded.

She watched as the ambulance pulled away with its brisk flashing lights cutting sharply into the night. She recalled that time last month when she and Sam stood in a puddle of light next to an ambulance.

It was the last time she saw him. Until tonight. He was only a few steps away now.

She had no choice left to her. As she turned swiftly to go back inside, she caught a passing glimpse of her shadow magnified by the golden-hued street lamps.

**_The golden-hued street lamps_** cast a grave new light on the street as she brushed out the bar door. It felt blustery cold, but not nearly as brutal as the rejection she had just suffered at the hands of Sam.

The lights and noises brandished on and on all around her, but her senses were deadened and her hopes listless and drowned.

She grimaced and shivered in disbelief as she sunk her hands deeply into her pockets. She was so crestfallen that she hadn't even bothered to zip up her jacket to stave off some of the freeze from hitting her body full on.

As she exhaled she closed her eyes trying to shut out the head lamps of cars and the brash music coming from inside _The Alpine_. The one thing she couldn't obliterate was the decisively hard blow she had just received.

He had refused her. He had sent her away. He had sent her off into the frigid night with a gentle let down and that was all. Goddammit, it hurt. It sure as hell wasn't supposed to play out like that.

She grappled to understand it. She couldn't believe Sam. All night across from that dammed pool table, sitting on the confounded bar stool beside her, _all night_ he had given her those enticingly knowing looks.

She had noticed his eyes slowly roam appreciatively all over her body, causing her to tremble and blush. That stoked glower of pleasure and lust in his eyes was channeled directly at her and her alone.

He had even smiled at her with his completely compelling dimples.

Shoot. Had she read him completely wrong? Was he just a spectre of the Sam she knew, putting on a slick act for that JD character?

She felt an acute stab to the pit of her stomach as she realized that he might not want her at all. Was he completely over her then? Was that previously unstoppable spark burning between them extinguished for good?

This intense craving that was scorching her inside out, perhaps it was now just a  
one-sided desperate grab at a burnt-out past and a going-nowhere future. Was she too late for Sam?

The hand on her shoulder was sudden, familiar, warm and pressing.

She turned and looked into his smouldering eyes. Her doubts from just moments before dissipated into nothingness.

It was all there in his deep brown eyes. It was pure, naked, unmistakable cohesion with her own crazy need and want.

"Let's go," he said with the faintest hint of a smile. She looked straight into his eyes. No more masks existed. Instinctively she moved to go in whichever direction he wanted to take her.

The chill cut through them. She shivered again as she walked silently beside him on the sidewalk. He didn't say anything. They didn't even look at each other right away.

Sam shrugged his jacket on and glanced at her sideways. This was insane. There was no more logic left in his brain. All he knew was that it felt completely right at last.

They reached his car and he ushered her into the passenger seat. Moments later he was driving off into the dark night. The heat gushed at her through the vents.

Andy leaned her head on the rest behind her and looked at Sam's profile. She knew he felt her eyes on him. He looked deeply pensive and serious as he kept his eyes trained on the road ahead.

She felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and stroke his jaw and cheek. She nervously tapped her fingers on her knee to give them something to do instead.

Her mouth felt dry and she swallowed hard. "Where are we going?" She asked. She couldn't keep this silence going any longer. It wasn't in her nature. He had even once joked that she was allergic to silence.

He turned and looked at her then with a puzzled expression, even a touch of a wry smile.

"Well, I can't take you to a hotel now can I McNally?" He replied with that familiar sarcastic mark in his voice.

She smiled. He had called her McNally again. He had also resorted to sarcasm. These were very good signs. They reassured her that he wasn't planning on dropping her at a taxi rank. She was willing to bet her last penny that the thought had crossed his mind though.

"Sam… I-" she began a little awkwardly.

He held up his hand focusing on the road again. "I know it's a challenge Andy, but how about not overthinking this one." He turned and smiled at her_ with_ those delicious dimples.

God he was incorrigible. She smiled back her eyes sparkling.

"Is Nash okay?"

Andy nodded. "She's probably back at 15 already. We helped a girl who overdosed. Traci went with the paramedics to the hospital."

He looked at her without a smile this time."That place doesn't exactly attract the most… wholesome kind of crowd." Sam muttered. He slowed down and pulled into a parking lot behind an apartment building.

"That's why we were there!" She quipped with an accompanying smart smirk on her face.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his jaw raised and his mouth remaining open.

He had her cornered with that statement. She turned away refusing to answer.

"Okay, wait here. I'll be back in five minutes."

"What are you going to do?" She asked curiously. She felt a sudden pang. Christ did he have some kind of live-in UC girlfriend he needed to chase out?

He raised his eyebrows reading her mind. Then he leaned forward slightly. She could feel his warmth brushing into her.

"It's a UC apartment McNally. You know cameras, wires!"

"Oh. Right. Right." She nodded, pulling a face and looking at him furtively.

He stepped out the car and disappeared up the staircase leading to a back door. She looked around her with a new uneasiness. He really did give her a sense of safety.

Without his reassuring presence, and her shield of uniform and weapon, she suddenly felt vulnerable and nervous in this unknown neighborhood where Sam worked his undercover mission.

He was back in minutes as he promised. "All clear," he said opening her car door.

She walked with him as if in a daze. This couldn't be real. He guided her up a staircase and then opened his apartment door.

She stepped into the darkened room hearing him flick the light switch on behind her. He dropped his jacket on a chair in the corner too. It was a really nice place. It was sophisticated and comfortable. It was perfect!

She couldn't believe he could just disconnect the cameras and wires at his pleasure.

She looked into his eyes as she told him so, handing him her jacket at the same time. It was her statement that she had no intention of leaving anytime too soon.

He gave her some kind of jokey response. She didn't really care what he said. They were finally alone together. This was not an opportunity she was going to squander.

He looked at her with deep intent. It went against everything his body was calling out for, but he had to give her one more chance to reconsider. He had to somehow underline once again that the fantasy-like choices they were making, were also far from sound.

He gave her one more opportunity to back down and return to sanity. He half expected her to take it and run. After all it was a pattern they had unwittingly fallen into. It was the norm that whenever they were on the cusp of something wonderful, she would flee.

But not this time! She meandered deeper into his apartment and turned to look at him with a saucy expression upon her face. His eyes drifted to her fingers that were slowly and beguilingly undoing her shirt buttons.

She looked amazing. Even better than he remembered actually. He needed to close the distance between them. He didn't think it would be possible for him to keep his hands off of her a moment longer.

He approached her as she sat on the table. He crowded into her space, his eyes boring deeply into hers. If this was really going to happen, she needed to know the line they were crossing was extreme.

It could impact their careers, this case, the whole confounded 15 Division, not to mention change their friendship forever. This one decision of theirs could have deep rippling effects on all of it. She needed to know.

She looked unguarded into his eyes so he could be absolutely certain when she spoke. She didn't want to go back. She just wanted to go forward… with him… at last.

He touched her with a firm reverence and intriguing gentleness. His mouth hovered teasingly above hers before he kissed her. It was so exquisitely soft; she thought she would crumble into a million pieces.

Then his arms came around her possessively and his mouth became more hungry and demanding. She thrived on how he craved her, bringing her hands up his arms and shoulders to caress his neck. He felt so good, so solid, firm and strong.

When he helped her pull his shirt off, his eyes practically burned her with fiery passion. Her pulse raced a million miles an hour and her skin tingled everywhere as he kissed, nuzzled and touched her. Then he looked at her intently again, before picking her up whole and carrying her to his bed.

Nothing in her life until now could rival the sheer romance he was showing her. She didn't know she would be so intuitive to it. As his mouth claimed hers again, she was quite certain she was going to melt in his arms.

He gently lowered her on the bed and rose to remove her shirt. A magical chill danced over her entire body. Sam lingered with his mesmerizing touches and kisses. He didn't rush a single thing. Everything he did was deep, deliberate and exciting. God he was really taking his time with her. It was just so amazing, considering they really didn't have very much of it.

"Sam," she whispered softly, just before his lips came back to hers and his fingers grazed across her skin to remove another piece of her clothing.

He looked at her with hunger in his eyes as the silvery moonlight spilled over her soft, tantalizing skin.

**_The silvery moonlight spilled over her soft, tantalizing skin _**as he continued to swirl his fingers across her back.

"No," he whispered. "And, you have to go,"

"Yeah I do," she nodded with a brief smile before leaning in to meet his lips. They kissed with a new feverish urgency, thrust upon them by a clock that was relentlessly chasing them down.

Sam got a firm grasp of her lean body and flipped her on her back.

She felt so silken, warm, pliant and responsive in his arms. He couldn't believe how remarkable it had been to finally experience being with Andy. She was everything he imagined and more. She was lithe, energetic and sexy, but he had also discovered how completely giving, trusting and unhindered she was with her body.

He truly felt like he had made love to her intuitively and naturally. It all just seemed to flow like a piece of art coming together. She had responded so vigorously and ardently. With her glowering eyes and hurried breathing he had gleaned just how much thrill she got from his touch.

He looked into her eyes now as his hand travelled up her flat stomach, and across her rib cage. He watched her eyelids flutter and heard her deep intake of breath, as she anticipated where his hand would go next.

When he did gently cover her breast and knead the hardened nipple, her breath came faster and harder. He pressed down on her body while his mouth grazed over the delicious skin of her neck and shoulder.

Andy sighed and pulled his face upward, before landing her lips forcefully on his. He didn't stop kissing her till she was breathless. Her body quivered and tilted upward to meet his. She buried her nose in his neck as he moved his fingers to her other breast.

She moaned softly and brought her mouth to his ear. "I can still make it if I don't leave right this minute." She whispered breathlessly.

He groaned and pulled her to him.

A little later she hugged the sheet around her body as she rose from the bed and collected her items of clothing scattered on the floor. He watched her silently. She could feel his eyes burning into her. She smiled at him and disappeared into the bathroom.

When she came out she was fully dressed. He was waiting for her wearing his jeans, but he was still shirtless. Dammit he wasn't going to make this easy.

He held her jacket pretty much the way he had when she handed it to him a mere few hours ago.

"There is a cab waiting for you outside already," he whispered hoarsely handing the jacket to her. "Get it to drop you a few blocks from the Barn. Do you have money?"

It would be best if he didn't give her money. There would be fewer lies for her to fabricate.

"Yes, enough for the ride and maybe twenty dollars extra to show to Boyd," she answered reading his mind. She pulled her jacket on.

He smiled at her. She could tell he was impressed with her spunk as his rookie cop again.

"You did good tonight Andy," he said slowly.

She giggled. "Thank you. You weren't too bad yourself, Officer Swarek."

He rolled his eyes and looked away. "You know what I mean."

She pulled her boots on.

"Yes, yes" she laughed, making her way to the door.

"I really have to go Sam." She stated the obvious, not really knowing what else to say. She had the wistful look about her again.

He stared at her. "Andy, this op, it won't last forever. I'll be back… hopefully sooner rather than later." He managed a smile.

She nodded. "I know. Just watch your back. Believe it or not everyone at 15 wants you back in one piece!" She paused and cleared her throat, then looked at him almost demurely. "_I _want you back." She added very softly.

He stepped towards her and pulled the loose ends of her unzipped jacket, till she was right against him. He kissed her long, hard and sensually.

When he broke away she smiled.

"Bye" she said, dropping another quick, chaste kiss on his lips.

"Bye," he whispered back.

She opened the door and was gone. Gone out of his life.

He made his way to the window and watched her get into the waiting taxi. Its headlights cast a pool of swimming light on the tarmac.

**_A pool of swimming light on the tarmac drifted to the stair case of the farm house._**

It was one of the only spots of road not covered in snow and ice.

Andy stood in stunned silence. Sam would be coming down those stairs any minute now. He was alive! She had a complete sense of elation and relief burgeoning inside her.

Yet, all around her there was a heavy darkness and stark stabs of bright, disruptive light. They were reminding her just how dangerous that night had been.

Sam could have died here, in this gutted, darkened place without even a sliver of a hope.

She looked up and away from the bloodied face of Brennan. She saw Sam then, flanked by officers, looking ragged and worn. His clothes were torn and he walked stiffly. His arm looked awkward and painful.

He came down those stairs and wandered through that pool of light to stand right before her.

She looked at him. He was pale, battered, bruised and bleeding. God was his spirit broken too? The light shone brashly on the gashes on the left side of his face. She fought the urge to reach her hand up to brush over those cuts.

He looked devastated actually. As he breathed out puffs of white cloud formulated in the air, and she felt his warmth hit her face.

He looked at her taking in the obvious worry written all over her face. She looked perfect. She didn't have a scratch on her thank goodness. Relief gushed throughout his body.

There was no way he could be certain Brennan hadn't lied to him about her. Now he could see with his eyes she was indeed alive and safe. He couldn't really fathom anything else right now. His mind was raw and his body ragged.

He was weakened and weary, but Andy was alive and looking at him with those lovely amber eyes of hers.

"Hi" he said, awkwardly emitting more white air towards her. She didn't reply. He knew McNally inside and out by now. Even though he was ravaged with fatigue and injury, he knew she was waging a private battle of her own. She was wracked with guilt. She was blaming herself for what had happened to him.

Goddammit, he would have to find a way to make her stop blaming herself for everything. He had broad shoulders and he could take whatever they threw at them. She needed to do the same, without a burden of added guilt.

Sam turned to move past her. He knew they would bring him to the station for debriefing. He didn't know if he would get any more time with her tonight.

She looked so damned confused and uncertain and he had no way of assuring her of anything that was about to happen. He didn't know himself.

The things he did know were plain and simple: He didn't blame her for one single thing; he didn't regret any one of those exceptional stolen moments with her. Most of all he really wanted her in his life.

He walked away from her. The haunting glimmer of her eyes empowered him.

**_The haunting glimmer of her eyes empowered him. _**With the gentle flakes of snow falling all around her, and uncertainty still in her face, he couldn't believe how deeply he had fallen for her.

When he saw her moments earlier, he again saw something resplendent, pure and crystalline amid the night's calamity. She was, as always, an incredibly welcome sight for sore eyes.

Now was his moment. Now was his time to finally assert himself with her.

He ignored the qualms in her voice.

"You want to try being normal together?" He asked with not a hint of doubt.

She smiled at him in response, shedding a bright new radiance all around her.

How the hell did he know how to be normal with her? Heck he may as well be honest. What would normal look like with her as more than just his colleague?

She smiled at him again. He saw her reach for the door handle and open it. She wanted this! She really wanted this with him!

The cloud of darkness and worry lifted as she looked at his playful smile. It was all as plain and light as day to her now. She wanted normal with Sam, whatever the heck that meant. She wanted it more than anything.

Maybe there was no deep mystery to it after all.

The way forward led in one direction only. It led to Sam.

The headlights of his truck shone through the snow with clarity as he shifted in gear and headed forward on the road ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

**_The headlights of his truck shone through the snow _**as he shifted in gear and headed forward on the road ahead.

Andy watched the feathery flakes drift down and melt into watery droplets on the windscreen.

The day and how it ended kept eerily replaying itself in her mind. At this moment she felt truly relieved and vindicated to be sitting beside Sam. Going with him on the road to who knew where?

But she really needed to clear her mind of the previous twenty four hours, and the wave of emotions that had pounded her. They had left her feeling completely gutted and as worn down as Sam looked.

Today she had experienced a seething kind of fear that cut her right to the deep. She had been riddled with guilt, overwhelmingly so! She had wavered from determined to insecure; terrified to sad; bereft to relieved; confused to disappointed.

Finally a few minutes ago the sight of Sam and the impact of his words had her feeling just exhilarated. Exhilarated in spite of her current flux in professional status!

Through the gamut of emotions today her mind had to be there, sharp and alert. She had to be focussed, professional, responsive and even unemotional. She had had to give it her all because Sam's life desperately depended on it.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the backrest, allowing the soft purr of the truck and the blurry lights all around her to calm her raggedness. It gave her a sweet sense of comfort to know she was experiencing _this _calmness with Sam.

When Andy finally opened her eyes she turned her head and looked at his profile. She recalled how she had similarly watched him a few nights ago as he drove her to his cover apartment. Good grief how a few days had dramatically changed… well everything!

She could just make out the cuts and bruises on his face, and the tip of the gauze over the gash on his left temple. Andy was certain he could feel her penetrating look, but his eyes remained steadfastly concentrated on the road ahead.

Her eyes slipped to his hands on the steering wheel, they were nicked and scratched. She noticed how his left arm looked stiff and uncomfortable. Then she saw him silently wince and catch his breath a few times as he turned the wheel.

"Sam. Pull over." She instructed leaning forward with a jolt. He looked at her perplexed.

"Just pull over right now," she demanded demonstratively undoing her seat belt.

He steered to the side of the road and turned the engine off.

"What's going on?" Sam sounded insecure and nervous, quite unlike his usual self. The doubts crept into his eyes. What if Andy was questioning her previous decision?

Perhaps she didn't want to go this route with him after all and had only needed a moment to realize it. Hell, he didn't think he could take another punch just yet.

"You can't drive like that. You'll get us into an accident, or worse maybe you'll get us arrested." She winked at him before her face broke into a broad smile. It was the first whole and real smile he had seen on her face since she left him a morning ago.

"Get out. I'm driving."

"What?" He asked, his face suddenly crinkling into a smile of his own.

"You heard me. Get out. We're switching."

He chuckled and opened his door. They met in front of his truck. The headlights shone boldly on their bodies as they moved past each other. Andy let her hand tangle briefly with his as she walked by him.

He smiled as he got in the passenger seat. Despite everything he had been through today, letting her get behind the wheel of his prized truck rankled him somewhat.

She turned the ignition and pulled out. "Straight to your place?" She asked, not really caring what he answered, so long as they were going there together.

"Yes." He looked at her. "If you prefer to go back to Traci's and get some rest, you can just drop me off, on the way. You could bring the truck back tomorrow." He continued with a surly tone, keeping his eyes on the road.

"You would trust me alone with your truck?" She countered quickly, a touch of humour finally coming to her voice.

It was odd the concern for his truck just moments ago had vanished. His heart sank for something else. He really wanted and needed her to come home with him tonight. What if she didn't?

"I'm actually not worried about my truck at all." He answered quietly.

"Good. I will come home with you though." She replied softly looking at him full on for a moment.

He smiled. "Sounds normal to me," he snorted and held her eyes for a moment, before he looked away from her to the view of passing vehicles and buildings.

She giggled and the lightness of that sound eradicated the last of his prior fears. She pulled in at his house twenty minutes later, after she stopped at the store to pick up a few things. Surprisingly, they found his place was actually clean and in decent shape.

"At least Boyd kept up this end of his deal if nothing else," Sam mocked reading her mind as he looked around.

She moved to stand right in front of him then. "Sam. You don't… you don't blame me for what happened do you?" She asked tentatively searching his eyes.

He understood her doubts, but his mind was just _so_ mashed up and it hurt like hell. He couldn't do the whole serious talk tonight. Not tonight.

He found the few simple words he needed to reassure her. "Andy if I thought you were responsible, do you think I would be here with you now?" He replied in a gentle whisper.

At this she smiled and brought her hand to the gauze-covered gash. Her touch was ever so gentle, loving even. It felt so intensely opposite from the brutality he had suffered at the hands of Brennan earlier.

"Did you see a doctor?" She asked as she let her hand graze his cheek before it fell away from him.

"No. Just the paramedics."

"You might need x-rays. You could have a concussion. You-"

"Andy, I asked you here to forget about all of that, not relive it." Sam gestured putting his hands up in front of him, urging her to stop.

"Okay. I'm sorry," she smiled, stepping closer.

"Be anything but sorry," Sam whispered, looking so intently into her eyes, that she felt her skin begin to tingle.

She leaned in and kissed him softly. He felt her new tentativeness and hesitation. She was afraid of causing him some kind of pain.

In response Sam reached out and brought his hand behind her neck firmly bringing her face back to his. This time _he _kissed her with a sense of urgency. She could taste sweat and even blood from a small cut on his lips, yet in that one moment a new kind of heat and magic was ignited between them.

When she did finally take a deep breath and open her eyes, she was looking directly at the playful glint in Sam's eyes.

But a moment later she noticed something else! It was the flashing red light on the base of his home phone. Sam had messages. Its incessant flickering quickly snapped her out of her romantic reverie.

**_Its incessant flickering quickly snapped her_** back to reality. She marveled at how the smallest light from the coffee maker could be so disruptive to her quiet thoughts.

Andy reached for a mug and poured some of the spicy, hot brew. She added a fair amount of milk and stirred. It was 8am and Sam was still sleeping upstairs.

Just ten minutes earlier, she had managed to disentangle herself from his hold, as delicately as possible, and tiptoe down the stairs. She wanted to stay pressed up against his firm body, but she was too wired up about everything to sleep.

After she put on a pot of coffee, she took her phone from her purse and checked her messages and emails. She grimaced slightly as she read her mail; then plopped her phone nonchalantly down.

She allowed her mind to drift to how magical it had felt to sleep beside Sam, wrapped up in his warmth and assurance. After everything, he still really only wanted _her_. That realization made her feel sparkly, silly, excited and girlish.

She wound her arm around her waist bringing the soft cottony texture of Sam's shirt closer to her body. He had given it to her to sleep in last night. She smiled as she remembered his words as he handed it to her.

They hadn't spoken or done much since they arrived at his place last night. She had unpacked the few groceries and prepared some soup with a fresh baguette. They barely touched the food.

As she took his half empty bowl away, she regarded his haggard look. "I don't mean to sound like a nurse, but you probably should get some rest you know."

He reached for her hand. "Come to bed with me." He said gruffly.

She smiled at him playfully. "McNally I'm not suggesting anything but sleep _tonight_." His dimples showed and she had an urge to throw her arms around him and hold him close.

"I'm really tired too actually," she mused in reply. She followed him up the stairs remembering the way things had been between them the only other time she was there.

She barely remembered the stairs at all from that occasion. They had somehow staggered and tripped their way up them in the shadows, clinging to each other frantically, as they kissed and groped in the darkness.

Tonight she stepped carefully and softly up each stair behind him. He gave her a new toothbrush and she headed for the bathroom.

When she came out he was sitting on his bed with his shirt off. She glanced down at the vicious purple bruises looming from his abdomen and caught her breath. "Sam!" She exclaimed unable to help herself.

"It's just some bruising McNally." He said dismissing her concern. He made his way to her. "Don't start nagging about hospitals and x-rays okay. If it makes you feel better, Oliver is taking me to the clinic tomorrow afternoon. It's standard procedure that I have to go so..."

His voice drifted off as he took in her fresh-faced loveliness. She had taken off her sweater and wore only a tight tank top with her jeans. It revealed and accentuated the slightest parts of her luscious breasts.

Being close and intimate with her was still so wondrous and new. It struck him how far he had come personally and emotionally with her in the past week alone.

He really wanted her right now too. He had felt the hot rush of desire in him the instant he caught sight of her coming into the room.

But his body was just too weathered, wounded and exhausted. He was overwhelmingly aware of what he _wanted_, but he knew what he _needed_ more than anything was to hold her while he fell asleep.

It was at that moment that he retrieved one of his shirts and handed it to her. "You really need to wear something less revealing to bed tonight Andy." He said half comically, half desperately.

Andy took a few more sips of the coffee as she thought about the way he had held her firmly curved into him most of the night.

If he woke and she had rolled away in her sleep, he instinctively reached for her again cradling her deep against his chest.

He had even whispered her name a few times as he breathed deeply into her hair. It intrigued, alarmed and thrilled her just how much he really seemed to need her now.

She shuddered then realizing just what he must have been through with Brennan. He was most likely still under some form of stress and trauma.

"Hey," she suddenly heard his soft gruff voice from behind her.

He had startled her. She hadn't been expecting him to creep up on her. She thought he would sleep for a few more hours actually. His voice interrupted her quiet daydreaming

"Hi," she replied, turning to look at him. The gash below the gauze still looked angry, but he appeared so many moons younger this morning.

She wanted to hug him; she wanted to kiss him. Yet, all she did was simply stand and smile at him. This was a new dynamic and situation for them. It was their first morning together in his home with no kind of pretense or secret to keep.

"Coffee?" she asked uneasily, holding up her own mug.

"Sure," he replied.

"How do you feel?" She asked as she poured.

"Like I took the beating of my life yesterday," he sniggered taking the mug.

"Ha, that sounds about right," she retorted lazily.

"Sam. I got an email from the higher ups. I have to go in for a formal meeting about the length and terms of the suspension." She looked at him from beneath her flickering lashes.

"It's normal protocol Andy. Don't let it get you freaked out."

"Okay. Will they do the same for you? I mean with you being a senior officer and all?"

"That doesn't mean anything. In their eyes I screwed up too. They'll probably give me a few days grace."

"Yeah of course. Hey I can make you some eggs before I get ready to go."

"I thought you weren't much into cooking."

"Well anyone can manage scrambled eggs. You can't really mess those up."

He laughed.

"There is also grapefruit juice, cranberry juice _and_ orange juice, which would you prefer?" She raised her brows teasingly as she asked.

He laughed again, drinking in her youth and energy, allowing it to infuse him with a whole new vitality of his own. Christ he thought he was way too old, cynical and decrepit to feel this way again. Yet she managed to draw it out of him simply because she wanted to make him some scrambled eggs!

Andy felt purely happy right now too. It was odd considering what a complete mess her life was again and her tendency to over think everything.

An hour later she had taken a shower, was fully dressed and ready to face the panel deciding her fate. Sam walked with her to the door.

He watched her quietly as she wrapped her scarf around her neck and pulled her jacket on.

"You know after the meeting I can just go back to Traci's, grab a few things and then come back here. What time do you expect to be done at the clinic?"

He paused for a moment another silly boyish grin on his face. Damn, it wasn't just breakfast; she was really going to do this "normal" thing with him. She really _wanted_ to.

He had reached a new deliriously happy state. He honestly didn't care about any of this procedural work crap. He just wanted to be with her. He just wanted her that was all.

"About five." He replied.

"Okay. I'll come back then."

"Andy."

"Yes."

"Don't let them get to you okay."

"Okay," she whispered.

He stood right before her.

"You're one hell of a cop McNally. Don't forget it."

She nodded.

"I'm glad we get to do this suspension thing together Sam." Andy dropped her voice to a whisper.

He chuckled and looked away for a moment, then he reached out and gently pushed her against the wall. His hands came up on either side of her neck as he pressed into her.

She could feel his heart pumping fast, solid and hard. It was so feverishly exciting to be close to him physically.

Her arms came instinctively to his waist. They kissed with an intensity and chemistry of new lovers finally free to actually _be_ lovers. It was their first really deep and sensual kiss for the day and it felt amazing.

Her arms tightened around him as she gulped for a deep breath of air. A soft groan escaped her before she plunged her mouth back to his.

She kissed him again and again, thinking she would never get tired of the way it felt. Finally she had him. Finally mysterious, elusive and risky Sam was in her life in this profound and insane new way.

"I've got to go," she giggled at last, as his lips found their way to her neck and attempted to ease her scarf aside. She pushed him away playfully.

"I'll be back after five okay." There was no rush or urgency for them anymore. After today they were going to have long, lazy languid days ahead together to really explore_ everything_ there was to explore about each other.

"Okay." His voice was needy and raspy.

"Andy," he said again as she was about to open the door.

She turned. "Don't bring too many clothes. You won't need them." His eyes were smoldering with a raw sexuality, his voice was a brash, throaty promise.

She paused for a moment then giggled playfully. "I know," she quipped then turned to open the door and leave.

The sun was already shining brightly outside. It shone so brightly it hurt her eyes.

**_The sun shone so brightly it hurt her eyes._** She fiddled agitatedly through her purse to find her sunglasses. Where the hell were they dammit? Why did they always slip out of reach when she needed them most?

Christ the sun was so bright, and her eyes were threatening to start pooling over with tears in just a second. Inside the precinct, Traci had called after her imploring her to wait up, but she had whisked by hardly acknowledging her.

God why was her life steam rolling from one freaking screw up to another? If they had to deny her the job she loved for three damn months, why in the heck did they also have to deny her of the one person she wanted to be with the most right now?

This was cruel and unusual punishment in the extreme. Damn it. She didn't know if she was angrier at them or herself for simply sitting there and taking it like a kid in detention.

Their stern eyes and condescending expressions melted her former confidence and radiance. She felt suddenly cold to her core. It was all surreal as though she was a witness at her own trial.

Wordlessly and guiltily she had signed the damn papers acknowledging and agreeing to her conduct unbecoming, the three month suspension _and _all the ridiculous conditions that came with it.

What stupid clause was it that stated that after today there was to be no contact of any kind with her complicit colleague Officer Samuel Swarek? Failing to comply with this regulation could result in further suspension or worse.

Worse, what could be worse than losing her job? She loved being a cop. She had worked selflessly hard for this and she was proving herself to be one hell of an officer.

She couldn't be dismissed from the force before she even had the chance to prove herself completely. There was already some tarnish on her name after her father retired under dubious circumstances. She needed to make good on her commitment and restore their name in this force.

Andy continued walking aimlessly down the street, frustrated, flustered, agitated and bothered.

How would Sam react to all of this? Instinctively she knew he would tell her to screw it and not allow one more road block to get in their way.

Hadn't he said to her just over an hour before: _'Don't let them get to you.'_?

But how could she stop them and their words from getting to her? She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. She couldn't give up everything she wanted in her life. She couldn't risk everything she had worked for, just to steal some time with Sam now. He mattered so damn much to her, but this was her future she was risking and it had to trump everything else.

Dammit what a shambles. She turned and absently took in the window display of the travel specialist she was breezing by. A poster of a pristine wilderness landscape caught her eye. _"Get away up North. Temagami Awaits!" _the banner boasted boldly_._

Andy quietly repeated the words a few times. She stared at the picture a moment longer. "Why the hell not?" She asked herself out loud, then she whisked two doors down to an internet café.

Half an hour later after she got on line in the café, she had reservations and bookings for a flight leaving at 6pm tonight. She was working on auto pilot, not thinking about any repercussions or Sam for now.

She wouldn't even get the chance to see him today before she left. It was for the best. She couldn't face him to tell him that she was leaving. She couldn't explain how she was running away to protect both of them and their jobs.

She would take the easy way out. She would call and leave a message on his home phone when he was out with Oliver.

Please dear Lord let him understand that she was doing this for him as much as herself. She couldn't put his status and career in jeopardy either. If she stayed here in Toronto she would cave in and rush to see him.

He would get to her somehow. She needed to be as far from him as possible to really stick to the conditions of the suspension. She would blow the rest of her savings on this flaming trip. She would stay at youth hostels and cheap hotels whatever it took.

She wouldn't be back till the whole damn thing was over. She would arrange her entire condo purchase via conference calls or whatever. Her father could arrange to have all her stuff moved in while she was away.

She would have a brand new home to come back to and maybe, just maybe Sam too. Maybe they could start their normal then. She shed a tear.

She desperately wanted to stay with him. She wanted to help him through the stress and emotional fallout of being taken and tortured by Brennan. But she couldn't, too much was at stake.

Andy recalled the way he had looked at her when she left him today. The laughter in his voice; the gentleness in the way he handled her; the promises in his face; the unmistakable flicker of desire in his eyes, it was all as real could be.

God, please let him still want her like this three months from now.

After she left him she had a silly smile pinned on her face all the way to the precinct. Her head was buzzing with thoughts of the steamy and exciting stuff they would do with each other later.

Thinking about her and Sam all tangled up, hot sweaty, naked, wild, wet and satiated, had given her an extra spark all morning. It was like a guilty pleasure she kept thinking about. Then she walked into the room of gloom at the precinct.

She took a sip of her now tepid jasmine tea. Even though she was indoors, she replaced her sunglasses to hide the tears that she began to shed. She needed to leave now. She had to get to Traci's and take whatever she needed then hightail it to the Toronto Island airport.

She couldn't let Sam get to her. If he did, he would change her mind. She needed to run now. If she paused for a minute and he steered her in a different direction, it could be devastating for them.

Two hours later she was at the airport harried and anxious. She again grappled for her phone and swiped her fingers agitatedly to compose an email. She had decided to tell him via email. She didn't trust her voice not to crumble on a voice message. Dammit how was she to explain this to him? How could she ask him to wait for her? How?

_Sam,_

_As much as I really want to be with you tonight, I can't. As much as I really want to start something normal with you, I can't tonight. _

_Today I was instructed to have no contact with you _under any circumstances_ for the length of my _three-month_ suspension. If I don't comply, we both risk serious professional repercussions. _

_You know we've both worked too hard to let this happen._

_So I've decided to leave. I'm going away up north for three months. This way I know I won't lose my resolve and run to see you._

_Can I please take a rain check for three months?_

_I'm so sorry._

_Andy._

The tears blurred her vision as she hastily sent the email. It was ten minutes to boarding. Was it enough? Should she have said more?

He would still be with Oliver. She owed him more. She had to leave a voice message too. She called his home number and took a deep breath willing herself to speak resolutely and not crack into a sob.

"Hey, it's me. Listen I sent you an email explaining why I have to go away for the three months of my suspension. I don't want to leave Sam. I want things to work for us, but I don't know what else to do. I guess if we really want this, we just need to wait some more. I'll see you in three months. I'll miss you Sam."

She hung up abruptly they were calling her flight. She needed to board now. She impatiently looked up at the departure board one last time as if convincing herself that this flight and destination really and truly existed.

She started to feel nauseous and dizzy as the board flashed with ever changing lights.

**_The ever changing flashing lights _**on the arrivals board all seemed like a blur to Sam.

All, except that one particular flight. That one chartered plane that had just touched down.

It was coming from Temagami and it was bringing Andy back. It was bringing her back where she belonged. It was bringing her back to him. Or was it?

He tapped the paper notice against his thigh as he made his way to the gate.

He wanted her to see him holding that sign. He wanted her to know in a split second exactly how ludicrous and silly he thought she had been.

It didn't begin to describe the wellspring of emotion and pain he felt over the past three months. It was a pain even more acute than the beating Brennan had given him.

He felt uneasy the minute Shaw had dropped him at home that evening three months ago. He had expected to find Andy waiting on his doorstep. She wasn't there.

It was after five and he thought she would be there with a backpack full of things, even though he told her she had little need for clothes. But, she was a woman after all and not just any woman. She was Andy McNally.

He had tried calling her once but her phone was turned off. There were no calls from her either. What the hell was going on? She may be unpredictable, but he was pretty certain she meant to keep her word about coming over tonight.

"Okay buddy?" Oliver asked carefully. He could see obvious agitation on Sam's face.

"Yup. Thanks brother."

He absently said goodbye and got out the car, waving distractedly as Oliver drove off. He had only gone to the clinic because Frank had insisted, citing protocol, liable and whatever the hell else.

Of course Olly had stepped up and promised to make sure he made the appointment. Yeah he was a real champ of a brother that one.

He found out that he had no concussion or broken bones, and was given the green light to go home and heal.

He was looking forward to healing in a whole new way that night. It was going to be all about him, Andy and frenzied passion… the usual for them.

He knew something was really off when he stepped inside the house and saw his machine flashing again. He had erased the full quota of 20 silly messages filling it up this morning.

Still, he knew there was something pertinent and relevant to Andy in this new message. Her voice sounded strained and unsure. She was genuinely sad, he could hear it in her voice. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed in frustration.

Just what the hell was McNally up to now? God help him! She was going to be the death of him with all of her ridiculous spur-of-the-moment behaviour. What the hell had they told her today? He had practically instructed her _not_ to let them get to her dammit.

A jolt of hurt hit him full on a moment later. Whatever had happened, it had been enough to make her run away from him. Was his hold over her that flimsy and inconsequential?

He let out another frustrated groan before he flipped through his emails. He wasn't really a techie person and she knew he hated checking his emails in general.

Most of it was spam or mass emails, or information he had already received first hand from someone anyway. But not this time!

He read her words slowly. He read the message three times before he allowed his mind to actually deal with it.

_"I was instructed to have no contact with you _under any circumstances_ for the length of my _three-month_ suspension. If I don't comply, we both risk serious professional repercussions." _

He read the words under his breath.

"Bullshit," he countered in agitation. "McNally do you have to let everyone else always make the most important decisions in your life."

He sat down and slapped his knees. Christ did she think they were going to follow them with surveillance cameras? Did she think they would rig their phones to make sure they didn't speak?

Didn't she know this was just boring pre-printed, century-old rhetoric that nobody, not even they took seriously. She really was still a rookie in every way.

He was going to tell them exactly where to get off if they came at him with this garbage. His personal life was his personal life period. _She_ was his personal life dammit.

Not anymore apparently she had just removed herself from it. He felt that indecently painful pang in his heart again.

"Andy you're killing me here." He frowned and dropped his head on the sofa behind him. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the email again.

_"I really want to be with you tonight…. As much as I really want to start something normal with you, I can't tonight."_

He snorted in resignation. Was she really just hiding behind a smoke screen of excuses and anxieties? Was she really actually just plain terrified of being with him?

He represented everything that was risky, irresponsible, unstructured and unplanned. He was everything Luke wasn't. Was she worrying that he couldn't offer her that kind of solidity and security?

It was ironic really because he was here ready to do this thing with her, his feet firmly planted on the ground. Yet she was the one who had taken flight in haste and panic, without slowing down for a minute to think it through.

Right now his heart and soul craved her and she was gone. She was gone into the night, somewhere up north.

_Can I please take a rain check for three months?_

"For Christ's sake McNally!" He yelled out loud, standing up and flinging his phone down on the sofa.

Three months! What about all the hours and minutes in between when he really needed her. What about this time right now when he wanted to cling to her to forget about the hazards of his job and what he had been through this week alone?

He had held on to her last night unconcerned about how it illustrated his extreme need for her. How could she be so blind to that? What was he supposed to do for three months? How was he supposed to spend his time as she whiled hers away up north?

She figured she was nice and safe there in a place where she wouldn't succumb to the damn temptation to be with him. But what about _him_ for Christ Sake? Where was the nice and safe place for his heart?

For three months he waited. He thought about her _every single day_. He missed her _every single day_. He gave himself hope that there would be pieces to pick up when she got back.

He felt bitter and discarded, mistreated and mishandled. He didn't know if he was justified to feel this way, but that was how it went.

He got back to work a month ago. It was a relief really. It filled up his time and kept his mind charged and busy. The danger on the job reinforced his commitment to it, but still he missed her.

He had dreamed of her. A lot actually. He had relived some of their most fun, frivolous, carefree and even sensuous moments in his head.

It all made him angrier than hell at her. It all made him miss her more desperately. It made him want her more than ever again. Dammit.

He even was there protecting her at his own damn hearing. "Have you had any contact with Officer Andrea McNally?"

"That would be impossible considering she's thirteen hundred miles away with no contact details available to me," he practically sneered at them.

The defiance in his voice could not be misconstrued, but he also wanted them to know that she had not broken any of their precious rules.

Then in the politest fashion possible for him, he had informed them that his personal life was none of their damned business _and_ that he had every intention of dating whoever the hell he wanted to.

He smirked to himself now as he approached the escalators.

He didn't even know why the hell he was here. He just felt he had to be. This was where it was all going to start for Andy again. He wanted to be a part of that beginning.

There were things he needed and wanted to tell her. Things about how_ he_ felt and what her flight had done to him. He was still bitter and angry with her. He felt so slighted that he didn't know if there was any chance of navigating their way back to anything normal.

He noticed her instantaneously. She was making her way down, brushing past people, phone to ear babbling away. Her eyes were darting everywhere. She looked animated and excited. He wondered if he had anything to do with it, or if it was all about the job.

He held the sign up straight, so there could be no mistaking that she would see it.

Christ she looked beautiful. She looked lean and tanned. She had cut and darkened her hair and sported new bangs. His heart began to pound frantically. This was the effect she had on him.

She noticed him suddenly. She stopped talking and as she met his eyes through his shades. A slight blush came to her face. She stared at him straight faced.

Her eyes drifted to the notice. She looked back up and a smile broke onto her face. She did a quick excited shimmy of her body, then walked confidently towards him. She looked relieved and happy. So she was happy to see him. Interesting.

"Hi," she said with laughter in her voice. She took the sign from his hand and kept smiling at him.

Honestly he couldn't decide. Either she was a whirlwind hurricane of uncertainty in his world; Or… or she was the brightest and most radiant light to ever shine in his life and future!

Whatever it was he knew she came with baggage though. A lot of it, after all she was Andy McNally. No need to avoid it, he might as well get right to it.

"Any baggage," he called out to her as she strode to walk ahead.


End file.
